Emotional scenes were witnessed at Congress ticket aspirant from Suryapet constituency Patel Ramesh Reddy’s home as his family wept and cried over the denial of ticket to him in the final list of the Congress for the Telangana Assembly polls 2023
Mr. Ramesh Reddy, who was expecting the ticket, lost the race to former Minister Ramreddy Damodar Reddy and as the news reached him, he wept along with his family members. A video of women members of the family crying inconsolably along with Mr. Ramesh Reddy went viral. “Why does this happen to us every time,” a lady member was heard even as she was weeping.
Mr. Ramesh Reddy was denied the Suryapet ticket in the 2018 elections too, with the assurance that he would get the opportunity in the Parliament elections from Nalgonda. However, in the changed circumstances, then Congress chief, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy contested from Nalgonda Parliament seat and won. Later, he resigned as the Huzurnagar MLA.
Denied the opportunity twice, Mr. Ramesh Reddy was hoping to get the ticket this time as his friend A. Revanth Reddy was the Telangana Congress president. In fact, he joined the Congress along with Mr. Revanth Reddy resigning from Telugu Desham Party (TDP) before the 2018 Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Mr. Damodar Reddy, a senior leader of the party who worked as a Minister in the Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy cabinet, lost the 2018 elections to Power Minister G. Jagadish Reddy. He had earlier represented the Tungaturthi constituency but moved to Suryapet after his constituency was reserved for Scheduled Castes.
Sources said Mr. Damodar Reddy got the nomination with the support of Nalgonda MP, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Bhongir MP, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, who have considerable control over Nalgonda district Congress politics. They are also arch rivals of the TPCC president, A. Revanth Reddy.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ramesh Reddy alleged that the ticket was denied to him to help the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate. “I have been working for the past five years with an assurance that I would get the nomination this time,” he said. He is talking to his supporters on the next move and he may join the electoral fray as an Independent.
